39. Ambrose

Chapter thirty-nine

Ambrose

I 'm sitting at the head of the grand mahogany table, flanked by Adriano and Antonio, with Gus off to the side next to Adriano. Enzo, Mattia and their father are next to Antonio with the rest of the board members including Diego taking up the remaining seats.

It isn't often we all gather like this, usually, it's in smaller meetings either just the family or my brothers and I with the board members. However, since this new partnership with Horatio will be affecting all Vitale investments, everyone has to be present.

A tense atmosphere fills the room, none of us are fans of spending large amounts of time with my uncle and their side of the Vitale dealings, Mattia excluded, so even Adriano is a bit fidgety.

"Gentlemen, it's time we deliberate on our next steps with Horatio joining us. Antonio, thoughts on the financial impact?" I turn to my brother who looks up from the piece of paper he's sketching on. Quickly his hands disappear under the table leaving the pencil and piece of paper unattended. It makes me uneasy to see him unsure of our way forward but I'll chalk it up to nerves .

Antonio adjusts his glasses. "Well, with the influx of capital, I propose an aggressive expansion strategy. We can channel a significant part into technology upgrades and global market penetration."

It's a good idea, this is the chance we've been waiting for since papá died and it could be our opportunity to use it to our advantage.

Enzo's chair creaks as he leans back and everyone's eyes are on him. "Antonio, while expansion is crucial, let's not disregard our existing clients. We need to ensure their interests are protected amidst this transition."

"Enzo's right. We shouldn't risk alienating our loyal client base." My uncle interjects, immediately jumping to support his son.

My eyes drift to Adriano who is already staring at my uncle in annoyance. "If we don't have any clients to retain then what's the point of focusing on that?" Antonio asks

"Just because Vitale Holdings can't maintain a stable client base doesn't mean the rest of the investment groups should suffer." Enzo turns to face Antonio head-on, but I gently nudge him under the table reminding him this isn't the time or place to hash out family grievances.

"Easy to retain a client base when your portion of the investments is so small it doesn't make an impact on the annual turnover at all," Gus quips from across the table, and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head.

Augustus has never been one to verbally get involved in these sorts of meetings. Nor would he ever, this hurriedly, come to our defence.

"Enough," my voice echoes through the room. "Perhaps a dual approach? A portion for expansion and the rest for client retention."

"Wise preposition," Diego says, nodding. "Horatio's connections are our new asset, but our current clientele remains the backbone of this firm. We need to find a balance.''

As we continue to discuss the "delicate" balance between growth and stability, the majority of the shareholders also lean to a 70/30 approach to focus on attracting new clients more vigorously, while still using some capital to maintain and strengthen our current relationships with clients. A sudden knock disrupts the meeting's flow and silence fills the room instantly.

A young female rushes towards my side of the table. "Apologies for the intrusion, Mr. Vitale. Urgent call from Mr. Farina, sir."

My heart sinks into my ass. "Is it him on the phone?"

"Yes, Mr. Vitale."

I meet Antonio's eyes and they're a mix of emotions and all I'm hoping is that mine convey some kind of apology as I stand but so does he.

"Which Vitale?" Antonio asks, standing to his full height and I don't miss the slight use of his usual intimidation tactics.

"Ambrose," she says awkwardly and I nod.

"My apologies, gentlemen. We'll adjourn for now. Let's reconvene this evening at The Vice to finalise our approach."

Heads around the table all nod and I rush out of the room to where she guides me to a phone.

"Mr. Farina?" Worry is clear in my tone as I answer.

"Ambrose," he says and I sigh in relief to hear his voice and not the voice of a random nurse giving me horrible news. "Is there any chance you could swing around the hospital?" he asks and my brows furrow.

"I'm supposed to pick Valerie up this evening to come for visiting hours, but I can find out if she's ready to go now, I-"

"Alone, Ambrose." He cuts me off and I swallow abruptly.

"Yes sir," I say. "I'll be there soon."

The entire ride to the hospital my mind keeps playing scenarios on repeat. Why would Mr. Farina possibly want to see me alone? A part of me contemplates whether I should call Val to tell her or not.

Then there's also the look in Antonio's eyes as I left the meeting, a look can say a thousand things, and from what I can tell that might have been his final straw. I have to make it a priority to sit him down and tell him the truth man to man, whether he likes it or not.

When I arrive at the hospital, getting past security and the nurses is a breeze since Mr. Farina made it known that I'll be popping in.

As I enter his room he seems a lot more lively than he did last week and I can breathe easier already but when he pins me with a hard stare I shudder in my boots. Growing up with Luciano Vitale as a father, not many things can terrify me, but I don't usually do things like meet with my girlfriends' fathers, I don't even do girlfriends.

"Mr. Farina, good to see you're looking a bit better than last week," I say, extending my hand to shake his.

"Feeling much better, thank you for making time for this. I know you're a busy man." Although his smile is soft and tired, I can feel the seriousness in his tone.

"Ambrose, I wanted to say thank you so much for last week, the nurses mentioned you helped Valerie get me here in time. I might not be here right now if it wasn't for you, so I'm eternally grateful for that," he says, a sombre tone to his voice.

"Of course, I'd do anything for Valerie, and yourself in turn." I nod and pull a chair closer to the side of his bed taking a seat.

"That's why I called you here." He starts fiddling with his hands in his lap. "I can see she has someone like you in her corner and that does put me somewhat at ease, but I overheard her on the phone discussing some financial matters, and I've found a few letters of demand for payment in the house hidden away. It worries me, especially if things were to go wrong with me at some point."

I swallow the lump forming in my own throat at his words and all I want to do is tell him to stop speaking like that for Valerie's sake. "I understand your concern, Mr. Farina. I'm here for her for as long as she'll have me and I'll do whatever it takes to support her."

"I trust you, Ambrose, I can't always be there so I need to know she has someone reliable by her side."

"I'll make sure she's taken care of Mr. Farina, you have my word."

"Thank you, Ambrose." He nods before he picks up the book he was reading and sinks further into the bed as if we didn't just have the most serious discussion ever about his daughter. A part of me wonders if Valerie's ex-husband was given a similar speech at some point or the other.

"I'll be back in a few hours with Val to see you," I say, rising to my feet. "Do you need anything?"

"No I'm quite alright, I'm not one to hide things from my daughter but could you please keep this conversation to yourself?" he asks and I nod agreeing instantly.

When I head into the hallway, I walk straight towards the nurses station where I'm currently getting gawked at and I can't help but flash them my signature smile.

"Ladies," I greet.

"Leaving so soon Mr. Vitale?" A young, blonde nurse asks and I give her a curt nod and turn my attention back to the nurse that helped us last week.

"Uhh…" I scan her chest for a name tag. "Grace, is there any possibility you could tell me which health insurance Mr Farina is with? Valerie asked me to give them a call about updating some details." I smile, hoping she won't see through my lies.

"It's Vitality Insurance, Mr. Vitale."

"Thank you ladies, see you all in a few hours." I smile and head straight out to my car. Once I'm outside, I dial Adriano's number and he answers on the second ring.

"You're pushing this shit with Valerie too far, Ambrose," Adriano answers. No hello, nothing, but I assume that also means he's alone.

"I have something I need you and Augustus to take care of."